


In the Dark of the Night

by AnneMcSommers



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Child Abuse, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Electroconvulsive Therapy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-13 23:17:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19261153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnneMcSommers/pseuds/AnneMcSommers
Summary: When Five offers to listen to Klaus about his nightmares, what he hears is worse than he could possibly imagine.





	In the Dark of the Night

At first Five didn't realize what was wrong. But something was wrong, there was someone else in the room. He reached under his pillow for his gun and it took him precious seconds to realize it wasn't there. This wasn't his room at the comission, he was at Hargreeves manor. They had stopped the apocalypse. 

He rolled over, ready to fight (better safe than sorry). There in his doorway silloutted by the hallway light was his brother Klaus. 

Five groaned blocking the light with his arm "Its the middle of the night Klaus, go to bed" 

Klaus didn't leave, but he didn't say anything either. That's what stopped Five from yelling at him again. Klaus was a lot of things, but he was never quiet. 

Five sat up. "Klaus?" He asked, quieter this time. Klaus still said nothing. "Is everything okay?" Klaus said nothing, swiping at his face with the back of his hand. Five realized then that he must be crying.

Five pulled back the covers beside him, shifting over. "Do you wanna come in?" He offered, unsure.

It was a fairly common occurence when they were children for Klaus to crawl into someones bed in the middle of the night, but it had been 3 months since they had managed to avert the apocalyse adn as far as Five knew he hadn't done it since. It was possible, no, acutally is was likely that Klaus had been having nightmares since then. Ten months in a war zone, preceeded by years on the street doing god knows what for money, nightmares were a given.

Five's musings were interupted by the sound of Klaus closing the door. It was a full moon, and the curtains on his window were open, but even so it took a few seconds for Five's eyes to adjust to the darkness. Once he had he could see that Klaus had indeed been crying. He was shaking slightly with his arms wrapped his arms around himself eyes flitting around the room. He focused on a point by Five's desk. "I'm here aren't I?" Klaus hissed towards the desk. 

Five felt his anxiety level skyrocket. This wasn't Klaus's idea, it was Ben's. Which meant that Klaus needed him in someway that Five couldn't understand. He was no one's first choice for comfort, and Five didn't want to imagine what had driven Ben to send Klaus to him.

Five patted the bed beside him. Klaus walked over and sat on the bed pressing himself against Five's side and bringing his knees up to his chest. If he turned a little, he would be in Five's lap. Five reached wrapped an arm around Klaus's shoulder. Klaus tensed for a moment, and Five was about to pull his arm back when Klaus turned and shoved his face into Five's neck. Five could feel tears running down his neck, and reached his other arm around Klaus to hug him tightly. 

It felt like forever before Klaus let out a sigh, and turned his head so that his head was resting on Five's shoulder. Five dropped the one arm and sat in silence with Klaus for a few more minutes before he he asked "Nightmares?" 

He felt Klaus nod against his shoulder. "Do you wanna talk about it?" He felt Klaus freeze against him and he backpedalled quickly. 

"You don't have to." He continued a moment later "But if you want to I will listen. I know I look 13, but I lived to be a 58 year old man." He paused searching for the the rght words. "I have seen things...done things that the others couldn't even imagine. You don't have to worry about me."

"Really...so do you want to?" Five asked. He felt Klaus nod against his neck, and then for a few minutes there was silence. 

When Klaus started speaking, he voice was raspy. "You know, I mean, maybe you don't. But, I, I...I," he stuttered and then finally blurted out so fast it took a second for Five to decipher what he was saying. "I like boys" 

Klaus tensed again, and Five realized that he had waited too long to respond. "I knew, well, acutally I guess I didn't KNOW, but I kind of assumed." Klaus didn't relax, so Five continued. "I don't care, obviously, I mean, who you like is none of my business. And you never had a problem with Delores." Five frowned, a thought occuring to him. "Does one of the others...." He let his voice trail off.

Five could feel Klaus shaking his head. "Dad" Klaus whispered, and Five cringed. That was when Five asked THE question that "What did he do?"

Klaus shuddered and for a second Five thought he wasn't going to continue. "I, you, if you really wanna know, you can't interrupt. If I stop, if I stop I won't be able to start again. ok?"

"I understand." Five agreed. "Tell me."

"I always knew that Dad didn't like when I hung around with 3 and tried clothes. But he never really said anything about it. Not until we were 13. I wanted to try a pair of heels and Allison's feet were like two sizes smaller than mine. So I snagged a pair of Mom's heels. I was walking down the stairs in them when I ran into Dad. He just flipped. I don't even remember what he said, he was just so Angry it was terrifying. And then he asked me if I had something to say for myself, and I told him that I liked boys. And he smacked me, and I, my balance wasn't great in the heels, and I fell. Badly, I guess I wasn't expecting it. I broke my jaw, and when I came to my jaw was wired shut and everyone was talking about how I fell down after running down the stairs in Mom's heels, and it was 8 weeks before I could talk and by then it was just a running joke. Dad seemed to have gotten over everything so I figured I would just like, let it go. It was just easier. " 

Klaus sighed, and Five felt terrible. It wasn't too long before he left that the heels incident had happened, and though it was years ago he could remember the jokes. The only way to shut Klaus up to give him pair of heels. Five didn't think he could hear anything worse, but then Klaus continued.

"After you left everything changed. Dad always had that core team of the four of you, 1, 2, 3, and 5 and it was like he was trying to get that going again, or make it so the other three could go on alone. Training ramped up higher, the competition between 1 and 2 became more intense. Me and Ben started getting trained more. Dad decided that we needed to stop "fearing" our powers as he put it. Started making Ben take the horror out all the time, for me it was night after night in the Masoleum. It didn't work. Well it kinda did. The more he "trained" us the more powerful we got, but the less control we had." Klaus took a deep breathe. 

"Then there was a mission, it was a last second thing. We got all dressed up, and went out, and after it, after it someone noticed I was wearing a necklace. One of the reporters. Dad brushed it off, but the next day Dad announced that I was going on a solo mission, 2 weeks. The others weren't to ask after it. I could tell it was going to be bad, he had that look on his face. The look he got after he decided to throw me in the masoluem for a weekend to "train" me. His, "I know whats good for you" look. Nothing ever good for me came from that look."

"Dad told me to get in the car as is. I could change when I got there. I asked about a suitcase, but he told me I didn't need one. Everything I needed would be there when I got there. He didn't mention where there was. It was a good hours drive, when we pulled up at the camp. New directions, rehabilitation camp. Dad told me to get out, and that he would be back to get me in a week. Didn't even tell me what I was there for." Klaus drew in a deep breath, as if to brace himself before continuing. Five was confused. Klaus hadn't even mentioned drugs yet, how could he be in need of Rehab.

"It wasn't a rehabilitation center. It was a conversion camp." 

"What, he" Five was cut off, by Klaus holding up a hand saying goodbye. Right, no interuptions. Five seethed inwardly, how could Dad have done that. 

"The first stay was basics. A lot of naked women porn and being rewarded, watching naked men and being smacked for getting a boner. For me it didn't do much besides enlightening me that I liked a little pain with my pleasure. Not exactly the target result. Also if Dad had ever thought to ask he would know that at the time I considered myself Bi, not Gay. But ya, I let them chop off my curls,and where the ugly boy clothes with a smile, and talk about girls and trucks and shit.

At first Dad seemed pretty happy with the results. I mean, I learned pretty quick on the uptake. Stopped with the crossdressing, talking about boys. I heard stories from the other boys about what else could happen. So I knew I didn't want to be a repeat customer. It was a few months later that we were out, and I guess I stared a little too long at the dress through the window, because I had another "solo mission". This time a month. I knew where I was going.

This time, this time it was worse. It wasn't New Directions. It didn't pretend to be some kind of nice camp. It was." Klaus shuddered and curled into Five. Five tightened his arm around Klaus, dreading what was coming next. 

"It was hell. And I went back twice over the next year, a month both times. It got worse every time. There was electroshock therapy, they pumped us full of drugs when we watched the porn. Stuff to make you nauseous when you watched the guys, and what I now recongnize as molly when we watched the girls. The last time, the last time, it was the worst though. They had women come in, hookers I guess. They had them assist, strip down, give you a handy. If you "performed" well you got special priveleges. Badly and it was a trip to the electroshock. 

It was years before I could be in the same room as a naked woman without having a flashback. I still freak when a woman touches me unexpectedly. I don't think that was what they had in mind. The amount of drugs I was on at that point was truly staggering. All given to me of course in the name of rehabilitation. They had things, sedatives I think that I was supposed to take in between. I was more than willing of course. The second day there the ghosts disspeared.

When I got back, Dad realized my powers were out. He always took me off my new drugs, and once I realized that this is what was keeping them at bay it was the beginning of the end. By the end of the year I was an addict. Dad couldn't keep me off the drugs. I was fifteen the first time he sent me to rehab. By the time we turned seventeen he had given up entirely.

Those two years I think I spent 6 months in rehab and when I was out I spent just as much time in the masoleum as in the house. The more my powers grew the more I needed the drugs to drown them out. Dad didn't care about making sure I could control them, just that I could use them more, more, more. While he gave up on me, Ben wasn't so lucky. 

He made him summon them over and over. Longer, more brutal training, all about taking them out making them stronger, nothing about putting them back. And once he gave up, Ben had to make the A team, and thats when it went to shit. Ben lost control on a mission. For the first six months I was too high to even see him. The first time I was in the masoleum. I had pissed Dad off and he threw me back in for old times sake. Didn't even bother pretending it was training. Vanya had left for music school already, and Diego was doing his whole police academy schtick. Allison was gone more than she was home, off modelling. Ben showed up and he saw me there with the ghosts screaming for them to go away. Dad left me there 5 days, the water ran out after 3. 

I woke up in the infirmary, and Ben was standing beside my bed. He looked destroyed. It took me a minute to remember. He told me I needed to leave. I would have stayed you know, I didn't have anywhere to go. But Ben said I needed to go. That, I couldn't let Dad keep doing this. I tried to explain it was only sometimes now, but that made Ben sadder. So I went. Lived on the streets, did shit I aint proud of. Got captured by psychos, tortured, fought ten months in a war. All this terrible shit has happened and you would think it's what I would have nightmares about. But it isn't.

Most the time the really bad ones are about the camps, or the masoleum. Especially when I am sober, the drugs dulled it all out, but now its all back and sharp and ugh. It's so stupid, this was years ago." Klaus rubbed the heel of his hand into his face angrily. Five stopped him, by grabbing his wrist. 

Klaus looked up, making eye contact with Five for the first time since entering his room. Five stared back, and took a deep breath in and out before speaking.

"You are not stupid. What Dad did, was unforgiveable. Diego was right when he called Dad a monster, because thats what he was. He should never have hurt you like that, and we should never have let him."

Klaus interupted. "We, you weren't even there."

"I know, and I will never forgive myself for that, but nothing is going to change whats happened to you. What I do promise is that I am going to be here from now on. If you need me, anytime day or middle of the night, all you have to do is ask and I will drop everything."

Klaus interupted again, voice choked. "Why?"

Five closed his eyes for a moment, overwhemed by sadness. "Because you are my brother Klaus, and I love you. I may not say it, or even show it much, but I always thought you knew that."

"I hope you don't mind sharing a bed then." Klaus joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"If I never sleep alone again I will do it if thats what it takes to help." Five said, looking Klaus straight in the eye as he said it.

Klaus ducked his head back into Five's neck and mumbled into Five's neck. "I missed you." 

Five wrapped his other arm back around Klaus and hugged his brother tightly. "I missed you too."

Klaus realaxed in his arms, and Five realized that Klaus was asleep. Five lowered him to the matress and curled around him on the bed. Sleep was a lot longer coming for Five.

**Author's Note:**

> Might continue with this, may not. Couldn't get the idea out if my head though.
> 
> Note I have no actual info on conversion camps outside of an episode of criminal minds.


End file.
